


The Recovery of Genji Shimada

by AKM509



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Because if Blizzard won’t give us lore we’ll do it ourselves, Genji gets therapy, No Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKM509/pseuds/AKM509
Summary: After the fall of Overwatch, and Blackwatch alongside it, Genji wanders, lost both to himself and to the world. But perhaps there’s hope somewhere.





	1. Chapter 1

_ Day 183 - 2:27 A.M. _

_ London _

The mugger fell, a shuriken embedded in his skull. The other two sparked off the bricks to either side of his head. The red-eyed killer dropped to the ground, faint whirring coming from his wrist as more shurikens automatically came to the ready. He looked behind him, where a young omnic sat terrified against the alley, and flicked the weapons back. No need for them, now. He took the bag from the hands of the dead human, brushed off some dirt, and held it out to the omnic.

As she took the bag, shaking in fear, Genji held up a finger to his lips. _Quiet_.

She nodded once, status lights pulsing.

And then he was gone - just a breath of shadow away into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life situation of Genji after the fall of Blackwatch.

Genji was running out of supplies. The savings from Overwatch had lasted a long time, but without a source of income, he was stuck. After all, what was there for him to do? Sweep floors in a supermarket?

No, the skill set Genji possessed was no good in the legal world. And Blackwatch had made him unsuitable for gangs or organized crime - they knew he was just as likely to slaughter them all as he was to help them. Fear had cut him off from the world - fear of his appearance, his abilities, his past...

All these thoughts and more passed through Genji’s mind as he slipped into his apartment. It was small and dingy, and his few belongings were strewn about the floor. He leaned his swords against the wall and took out his forearm, where his shurikens were stored. He’d refill it later. A new batch gleamed on the 3D printer in one corner of the living room, just waiting to be loaded.

Genji checked about the small kitchen. A box of cereal (Lucio-Oh’s - some music artist who’d gotten a lot of hype recently. Genji hadn’t been paying attention.), four eggs, half a loaf of bread, some jam, and a quarter-gallon of milk. Less than a week’s worth of food.

Genji sighed.  I’ll figure it out later.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate half of it before laying down and falling asleep on the couch.

As usual, he didn’t sleep well.

Genji was back in the hospital. His vision swam as doctors and nurses worked frantically over his dying body. The sword fight had destroyed him. He couldn’t even make outindividual wounds anymore, just a web of pain stretching across his entire body.

Above him, he started hearing more and more voices - both the familiar Japanese of the local hospital, and new voices - one Swiss-accented English rising above the others.

“We will take him from here, please step away...”

He woke again under water. Tubes pumped blood and nutrients, and looking down into his tank was Doctor Angela Ziegler. She smiled, pressed a key on her datapad, and Genji blacked out as sedatives flooded his system.

It was a long night.

Genji woke up at 2:00 P.M. He refilled his shurikens and cleaned his swords. These tasks didn’t take him nearly as long as he’d hoped, and he sat restlessly for a while.

Finally, after checking his remaining supplies, he gave up and dialed a number from his Blackwatch time - a pilot, who’d agreed to take him wherever, whenever, one time only.

Desperate times, as they say.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angry confrontation in the streets of London.

“There’s an airfield about ten miles outside of city limits that I can pick you up from. Do you know where you want to go?”

“Not yet. I will be there tomorrow, early morning.”

“You got it.”

Genji hung up. He looked around the apartment - the clothes strewn about, the stolen 3D printer only loaded with his shuriken design, the kitchen. Everything he needed to bring with could fit in a duffel bag. That wasn’t the problem. Where could he go? Major cities were off the list - he was a fugitive in most countries, and word spread like wildfire. He needed somewhere small, out of the way, where he could live without persecution.

_Or die. You could always just end it with a bullet, you know._

This wasn’t the first time that thought had crossed his mind, and now he started to really consider it. It’d be faster than starving to death, and, after all, what place in the world was there for a half-human? They barely tolerated Omnics, there’s no way they’d accept him.

He sighed and swore as he picked up his clothes and tossed them in the duffel. 

He wished he’d never been saved. Getting forcibly inducted into Blackwatch was bad enough. And sure, some of it had been okay, but then it dissolved into chaos as Overwatch disbanded, Reyes and Moira disappeared, and he was left without options.

Genji dropped out the window and onto the fire escape. He was fully equipped again - shurikens restocked, swords on, and duffel slung over his back. His synthetic legs tensed as he scanned the streets. They were empty. Except...

_ There._

Genji had been in a few clashes with gang members since he’d moved in. A group of gang members slipped out of an alleyway a couple blocks away. Even from here, Genji could clearly see the trademark glowing snake symbol that wrapped around their jackets, Genji didn’t know what he was doing, but was positive the world would be better off without those thugs wandering the streets.

Genji took a few steps back before sprinting and leaping off the fire escape. Halfway to the next building, his legs fired off a burst of compressed gas, allowing him a second jump to clear the railing. 

He continued this pattern until he was just above the alleyway and dropped onto the group.

They never saw him coming. One dropped to the ground with a grunt, three shurikens in the top of his head. Genji rolled and came up throwing three more in a wide fan. One clipped a gang member, ripping his sleeve and leaving a deep gash. Another two drew shockrods and swung while the fourth pulled a gun and the fifth ran.

Time seemed to slow as the bullet fired. Genji drew his sword, body dropping into the routine that comes from hundreds of hours of training. He drew the sword across his body, angling the flat of the blade back towards the alleyway. The bullet collided with the blade and reflected, barely missing the shooter and ricocheting off the brick wall behind him. Genji’s eyes blazed as he sheathed his shortsword and drew the Dragonblade.

_Ryujin no ken wo kurae!_

Years of pent-up hate, pain, fear, and rejection flowed from Genji as the blade glowed. He didn’t think, simply dashed through the group in one wide sweep.

Thirty seconds later, the three lay on the ground, deep cuts covering their bodies. Echoes of screaming died away. Genji might have been part of that. He wasn’t sure. But he wasn’t done yet.

The fifth gang member barely made it down the block before Genji caught him.

“Running,” he said as he pulled the gang member off the ground by his collar, “is a coward’s path.”

“Pl-please, I’ll do anything!”

Genji shook his head, and, quick as lightning, a blade impaled the runner. He pulled it back, blood dripping from the tip, and let the gang member collapse.

Genji stood, breathing heavily, over the carnage. Slowly, his anger subsided and his mind returned. Swearing, he wiped the blood off his swords and ran through the streets of London until he was outside the city limits.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji lands in Nepal.

“Well, you’ve looked better.” The Blackwatch pilot chuckled. “Last time I’ve seen you like this was... Italy? What did you boss do this time?”

Genji looked at her silently.

“Okay, okay, I get it. Don’t want to talk. C’mon, get loaded and we’ll get going.”

Genji boarded, dropping his duffel in the back of the plane. It was small and clean, despite only being a civilian or maybe contractor craft.

“So, where to?”

He hesitated. “I am not sure. I need somewhere... removed. I can’t keep living in the city like I have been.”

The pilot nodded. “Sure, sure. Somewhere you can be... you?”

“That is a place that does not exist. But somewhere I can live without threat of arrest would be excellent.”

The pilot thought. “I’ll tell you what. I can bring you along a few stops. I do private deliveries, and my contracts are all over the world. I can let you off anytime.”

Genji nodded. “That will do nicely.”

The pilot put on her headset. “Then buckle up, Shimada. First stop is Cairo. After that it’s a city near Moscow, and then to the Nepalese mountains. You can take an hour or two in each spot while I do business, but I could use a hand loading and unloading. Don’t worry, I have a no questions asked policy. Noboy’s going to bother you.”

Genji nodded, leaning back into his seat.

Cairo was a bust. The residents weren’t totally against Omnics, but they weren’t too happy to see a cyborg in their midst.

Moscow was horrible. The continued omnic offensive turned into virulent anti omnic sentiment, and Genji had more than a few stones thrown at his head.

Genji woke up to the pilot calling someone on the ground, seeking out a safe landing zone. He looked out the back window to see the Himalayas covered in a sheet of snow. Below, a small village stood, with what looked like an Omnic mass power station slightly removed from the rest of the village. At the edge of the village, a large shrine stood. From the shrine, a path led away, winding into the mountains.

Eventually, the pilot set down a mile away from the village, where a snowy path led to a wide clearing. They were greeted by one human and one Omnic, both dressed in simple, warm clothing.

The pilot got out first and greeted the pair. “I’ve brought the supplies you asked for. Thank you for your advance payment.”

“Welcome, and thank you,” replied the human.

“We appreciate your willingness to come to such a remote location,” commented the Omnic.

As the pilot talked with the pair, Genji opened the back door and stepped into the snow. He looked around the scenery, breathing deeply. He liked the cold air, especially after the stuffy aircraft ride. After a few minutes, the pilot and two locals came over to the plane.

“This is an old colleague of mine, Genji Shimada. He’ll be helping us unload your supplies.”

Genji nodded. A pair of sweatpants and a coat concealed his synthetic parts, while the cables coming from his head were tied back and hidden beneath his hood.

“Thank you, Genji. Peace be upon you,” the locals replied in unison.

Genji shot the pilot a look, and she replied with a shrug. She pulled the first of four crates from the cargo section and slid it over to where Genji was waiting to take it.

As the group walked with the crates back to the village, the pilot and locals talked quietly, over everything from the weather in the village to the science of the aircraft the pilot owned. Genji, detached, simply put one foot in front of the other as he watched the clouds go by.

As they approached the village, a mixture of humans and Omnics came to help with the loads. Genji waved off an Omnic who offered to lend a hand, but aside from that, nobody gave him a second look. It was a welcome change from Moscow. Genji relaxed. This might be the place to stay.

After dropping off the packages in a larger storage house, Genji spoke with the pilot.

“Thank you for bringing me along. I think I will remain here, in the village.”

The pilot nodded. “That’s a good choice. I don’t know that much about the residents, only that this is the residency of the Shambali. You know, the Omnics who’re talking about the Iris, or something? They’re very popular with peaceful Omnic groups and human sympathizers. In any case, I think you’ll fit in well here.”

Genji nodded. “I will retrieve my things.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji can’t quite settle into a routine.

It had been a few weeks since Genji had moved into the Nepal village, and he was starting to understand the routines.

It was remarkably peaceful, with the villagers seemingly always ready to lend another some help. There was no currency, only goods and services exchanged directly. Everyone seemed to know everyone else on a first-name basis, and already Genji was being greeted in the streets - “Peace be upon you” a common phrase. One human explained:“This village also supports the Monastary of the Shambali, a group of Omnic monks. The phrase ‘peace be upon you’ is apparently the standard greeting for them, and it’s simply made its way into our conversations.”

Genji had kept his cyborg status hidden, except to his hosts. He was staying with two Omnics and a human, who’d agreed to keep his status secret. He worked with them in creating furniture for the people of the village - chairs, tables, benches, and the like.

For the first time in years, Genji was sleeping well. Memories of his near-death seemed to be fading away in the cold mountain air.

Until, of course, they all came rushing back.

After the third time waking up in a cold sweat, Genji took his weapons from his pack and set out into the night. Though familiar, Genji shifted uncomfortably with the weight of the swords and filled shuriken rack. He wandered up the road towards the monastery, passing the shrine. The shrine was, at this time of night, abandoned, though its braziers still glowed faintly. Genji wasn’t sure what they were for - he hadn’t been to any of the spiritual meetings the villagers participated in.

A little ways up the road, Genji came across a clearing, with empty crates neatly stacked in identical pyramids. He assumed that these were the empty supply crates used by the monastery, but he didn’t know how long they’d been there for. Shrugging, he picked up one crate and moved it to a standalone position. He stacked a second crate atop the first, and then did the same with four more crates, until he was left with three targets, each made of two crates, spread across the clearing.

Genji tugged off the clothes he’d received from the villagers, shivering as his synthetic and bare skin was exposed to the night air. He stepped towards the first target, flicking shurikens into his hand. He dropped into his ready position, visualizing a battlefield all around him. The crates? Targets. The remaining pyramids? Cover and obstacles. He opened his eyes as he flung the first set of shurikens into the target in front of him, then double-jumping and, in mid-air, releasing another volley into the backside of the target. He dashed into cover, another volley ready to fire. He climbed the highest pyramid and flipped over the top, sighting and releasing three shuriken in a arc, embedding two in the remaining two targets. He pulled his shortsword as he fell, going through the motion of deflecting a series of projectiles, and dashed again when he landed, emptying another three shurikens into each target.

Genji trained for a long time - adjusting the location of his targets, how and where he hit them, everything he’d trained in his Blackwatch days. Even when his energy started to fade, when Commander Reyes or Amari would force him to stop, he kept going, retrieving his spent shurikens and reloading them into his forearm and doing another round.

But eventually, the exhaustion caught up to him, and he collapsed, freezing, into the snow as the sun rose over the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure if I’m spelling everything correctly, so let me know if there’s a correction you notice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, Genji Shimada, to the Monastery of the Shambali.

When Genji awoke again, he noticed two things: first, that he was not dead, but was in a bed and was quite warm. Second, that someone had taken his swords.   
He was more angry about the swords. He’d figure out why he wasn’t dead later.  
He ripped the covers off himself and jumped out of bed, shurikens at the ready. In the corner of the room, an Omnic floated in the doorway. He turned at the sound of Genji’s awakening and was greeted with a shuriken flying towards his face. Startled, he crossed his arms, and the shuriken embedded themselves in the Omnic’s arm, rather than his head. Genji didn’t care. He sprinted past the Omnic, who’d dropped to the floor, and ran out into an unfamiliar place. Omnics floated around within the stone building, most wearing loose white clothes and with some sort of orbs orbiting them. At the sound of metal shrieking through the monastery, all turned to look at him. Some looked at one another, confused. Genji rushed the nearest one and grabbed him. “Where. Are. My. Swords.”  
Shakily, the Omnic raised one hand and pointed to the far side of the room, where a door led outside.  
“The storehouse outside the monastery.”  
Genji dropped him, and he returned to his normal floating position, though his status lights blinked rapidly and in confusing patterns. Genji ran for the door, jumping over a pitfall and climbing a wall to reach the exit as quickly as possible.  
Genji saw what he assumed to be the storeroom when he exited the monastery. Between him and the entry, however, floated another Omnic. This one was dressed in loose white clothes with a red trim, and wasn’t surprised by Genji’s arrival. Instead, his orbiting meditation orbs spun more rapidly as he performed a focus routine. He thrust one hand out, one finger up, and his orbs glowed bright blue, arranged in a circle facing Genji.  
“You will cease your rampage, now.” His voice echoed throughout the courtyard.  
“I am retrieving my swords. And you cannot and will not stop me.”  
Zenyatta Tekhartha shook his head, and the meditation orbs returned to orbiting his head. “You are sorely mistaken.”  
Genji roared and threw three shurikens at Zenyatta. Reacting instantly, the Omnic drew blue energy from his orbiters and returned fire. The energetic orb collided with the stream of shurikens, and they dropped to the ground. The blue energy continued and impacted Genji, knocking him back a few paces. Furious, he leaped forward and threw another round of shuriken at the monk. The second round also fell to the ground, intercepted by another blue shot.  
“That is enough. Stranger, your flaws are revealed.” Zenyatta intoned, and one of his orbs flamed purple and raced toward Genji. When it got near, it hovered over his shoulder. Immediately, Genji was overwhelmed with emotion - fear and sorrow dominant among them. Simultaneously, his cybernetics seemed to stop functioning in time, and his movement became jerky and disjointed. He fell to the ground.  
“Pass,” intoned the Omnic, “into the shadow of doubt.”  
And with that, Genji blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The movement I tried to describe for Zenyatta’s introduction is his “Focus” highlight intro.


	7. Chapter 7

Genji awoke with the Omnic hovering nearby. He went to sit up, but the monk held up a hand. “I would not recommend trying to stand. You are still weak.”

Genji snorted and sat up. “I have not heard that claim in many years. Who are you? And why do you keep me here?”

“Perhaps you can tell me the same. Who are you?”

Genji hesitated.

“You may remain silent. If you insist on standing, come, let us walk.”

 

Outside, again dressed in warm clothes, Genji met the Omnic, who was watching over the courtyard.

“Excellent. I am glad to see you have calmed. It is much easier to have a conversation this way.”

“Where are we?”

“We are in the Monastery of the Shambali. My name is Zenyatta Tekhartha. I am one of the only monks in the study of defense here.”

Genji nodded. In the courtyard, a dozen omnics followed routines and focus rituals, all perfectly synchronized. Meditation orbs danced and formed together in unison, suprisingly peaceful in the chaos.

“All of the monks in this monastery are followers of the Shambali faith,” Zenyatta continued. “I will not detail the whole belief system, but suffice it to say that we believe the Iris embraces all people - Onnic, human, and those like yourself.”

In the courtyard, the meditation orbs calmed and returned to orbit, and a collective voice rose from the group. “The Iris embraces us.”

Dozens of orbs glowed golden, and a feeling of peace rippled over the entire monastery. After the glow died, the monks broke formation and slowly dispersed into the monastery. Among them, Genji recognized the Omnic he’d nearly killed the previous day. He seemed fine, and there was no sign of damage to his arm.

“It is always good to see the morning rituals. Come, we have much to discuss.”

 

Back in Zenyatta’s room, Zenyatta poured a cup of tea and offered it to Genji, who reluctantly accepted it.

“Now, perhaps you can answer some of my questions, and I some of yours. Let’s begin with your name.”

“I am Genji Shimada.”

“And what of your story?”

Genji sighed. “The Shimada clan is an influential crime family in Japan. My brother, at the command of the elders... tried to kill me. The pain-“ His voice broke.

Zenyatta nodded. One of his orbs glowed and raced to hover over Genji. Suddenly, the pain of Genji’s memories seemed to lessen, and he relaxed.

“Please continue, Genji.”

“I... very nearly died. The Japanese doctors would have failed in saving my life. However, a medical response team from Overwatch took me into their care. It was there that I became... this. They turned me into a weapon, indebted to them with my life.” Despite the Orb of Harmony, Genji’s voice was filled with hatred. “I served them until they disbanded, and I was left without options in a hostile world.”

Zenyatta nodded. “I see.”

“What is your story? Why are you here, and why do you study defense? How did you best me so easily?”

The monk thought for a while. “I began as a simple service Omnic. What my function was, I do not remember. But, one day, I... awakened. That is the best way to describe it. I struggled for a long time with the state of my being and where I fit into this world of human and machine. Eventually, I, with many of the other monks in this monastery, left my wandering life and came here. Tekhartha Mondatta is the leader here. As for why I study defense, it is to protect the more peaceable monks from intruders, such as yourself.”

“You took my-“

Zenyatta held up a hand. “I am sure you have your reasons. But you did nearly kill one of my brethren. As for how I was able to defeat you?” The meditation orbs spun in place for a second. Each seemed to be swirling with golden and purple light. “I did not expect for you to fall so quickly. It seems that my Orb of Discord was especially effective against you, with such a troubled past.”

Both were silent.

“I suppose you must be wondering also why you are here.”

Genji nodded.

“Yesterday morning, some of the monks left to collect supplies from the village, which graciously provides us with the materials we require. They found, among the crates, dozens of your shurikens and your body, freezing and near death. They brought you back, and you were nursed back to health with the grace of the Iris.”

“Those orbs... do all the monks here have them?”

Zenyatta nodded. “Yes. They help us to channel our inner energy - our innate connection to the Iris - to allow us great power. All monks here can harness the power to heal others,” he gestured to the glowing orb on Genji’s shoulder. “In addition, I can bring Discord to other beings, drawing on their pain and conflictedness, as well as simply attack with energy, as you have seen.”  Zenyatta paused. “You have seen much. Please, rest. I will be accompanying you, for the comfort and safety of the other monks. You may study, if you wish, but I ask you to refrain from physical exertion.”

“What about my swords?”

“You may have them back, if it will make you more comfortable. However, I sense that they signify pain more than they do peace.”

Genji frowned. “Perhaps you are right. They are in the storehouse still, yes?”

The monk nodded. “They are.”

The two exited, the monastery to their left and storehouse to the right.  Genji thought a while, then turned away from the storehouse and went into the monastery. Zenyatta followed a little distance behind, keeping a close eye on him.


End file.
